20100902
africanews

International leaders expressed their commitment to transforming agriculture in Africa while opening the inaugural African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Accra, Ghana. The AGRF, chaired by former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is being held for the first time in Africa.

With more than 800 delegates it is one of the continent’s major gatherings of both public and private players focusing solely on agricultural development.

Mr Annan opened the event alongside H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Vice President of Ghana, Jørgen Ole Haslestad, CEO of Yara International, and Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Ministers and former ministers from Nigeria, Tanzania and Malawi are also attending the AGRF.

Originally inspired by an appeal by Kofi Annan in 2004 to transform agriculture in Africa, the ministers are joined in Accra this week by CEOs, international donors, farmers and other elements of civil society.

“This is the time to scale-up progress to achieve a uniquely African Green Revolution,” said Mr Annan.

He told AGRF colleagues that Africa, with a lower density of critical infrastructure than Asia had in the 1960s, needs massive investments. Although 19 countries already have put in place plans to accelerate their annual agricultural growth by six percent a year, experts estimate that Africa will need US$32 to US$39 billion annually to achieve the full economic potential of its farm sector.